Officials Announce $250,000 Investment into First Responder Training Facility in Fulton

State Senator Chris Ryan came to Fulton today to deliver a $250,000 grant for the renovation and reimagining of Fulton’s Rowlee Park.

“This is a smart, forward-looking investment,” State Senator Chris Ryan (SD-50) told the gathered crowd in his remarks. Ryan’s senate district includes southern and western Oswego County and much of northern Onondaga County.

The Community Resilience, Economic Sustainability and Technology (CREST) grant, which was obtained by Ryan’s office on behalf of the City of Fulton, will fund the construction of a regional training center for local fire and police departments. Currently, these departments—and others throughout the area—must travel to Albany for required training. The facility will also be operational as a warming and cooling shelter in extreme weather.

“Investing in our first responders is our community’s strength,” Ryan said in his remarks, “and I would much rather have these resources here than having to send everyone to Albany.” In an unscripted moment, the senator added, “So often, people talk to me in terms of Oswego County and Onondaga County, but the truth is, those imagined lines—whether it’s Route 31 or Onondaga Lake or county boundaries—they don’t make a difference to me. There are 319,000 people in my district and I’m here to represent all of them.”

Mayor Jim Rice became emotional when talking about the project, which has been in the works for quite some time—with many days of wondering whether it would actually come to fruition. “This isn’t just about what Rowlee Park used to be… it’s about what it can become. [It’s] about charting a better course for this site and turning [it] back into a source of pride for our community.”

Fulton Police Chief Christian Dempsey spoke about the major benefits to the community in terms of both economics and safety. Fulton’s police and fire departments must pay out overtime for trainings that take place in Albany; the distance itself also makes essential trainings harder to regularly access. “Now, instead of sending people to Albany, people can come here, to Fulton.”

Officials throughout the ceremony noted Fire Chief Randy Ketcham’s persistence and former Fulton Common Councilor Ryan Taylor’s vision in making this project a reality. Taylor, who is currently running for County Legislature in District 25, is still involved as a citizen representative of the newly formed Fulton Safety Committee. Others who were significant to getting this project off the ground included Common Councilor Audrey Avery, former Police Chief Mike Curtis who retired at the end of August, and former Fulton Fire Chief Adam Howard who retired just over a year ago.

It is a testament to the power of collaboration that so many major transitions did not stop this project from reaching the finish line. Fulton officials, former and current, worked together to keep the momentum moving.

“We’re building a better Fulton one collaboration, one partnership, one renewed space at a time,” Mayor Rice said in closing. “This is not the end—it’s just the beginning. There’s so much more to come.”

Chief Ketcham echoed this sentiment and thanked the many people who contributed to the project for the good of the community, including educators from the City of Fulton School District. He made a special call-out to the staff at Architect Michael Maxam’s office, who provided the scope of work documents needed for the grant application at no cost to the city. “These folks love Fulton; they took pride in this project and they took care of us,” Ketcham said.

Redevelopment of the site is slated to begin in May 2026.